U5W4 Wonders The First Rock Star

The First Rock Star

U5W4 Wonders 5th grade

Florence Bascom was born in Massachusetts in 1862. She was the daughter of a professor and a suffragist (someone who worked for women’s right to vote). Her parents supported both the life of the mind and women’s rights, so it might not seem unlikely that she became the first female geologist in the United States. But the path she took to her life’s work was not an easy one.

Florence Bascom’s love of geology began during a trip she took with her father and a geologist friend of his, Edward Orton. In 1877, Bascom enrolled at the University of Wisconsin. Her father had recently taken the position of university president.

Women had only been allowed to enroll there since 1875, and she was not permitted to take many of the classes the university offered. But still, Bascom graduated with first a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree from the university in 1887.

Florence Bascom wanted to go on with her geology studies. Though she had faced difficulties at Wisconsin, her father was the school’s president. She had an easier time there than she might have had elsewhere. She wanted to go to Johns Hopkins University to study for her doctorate, an even more advanced degree. Johns Hopkins, however, had never allowed a woman in its Ph.D. program before. It took seven months for a committee to agree to allow Bascom to attend classes there. They would not permit her to enroll officially. Also, the university told her that she would have to sit behind a screen in her classes so she would not disturb the male students. That seems unbelievable now!

This announcement did not stop Bascom, though. The paper she wrote to get her degree was brilliant, and she received her Ph.D. in 1893. It was the first Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University ever gave to a woman. Bascom’s was the second Ph.D. in geology ever awarded to a woman from an American university.

After accepting a teaching post at Bryn Mawr, a women’s college, Bascomvfounded the Department of Geology there. At first, geology was not considered an important science at Bryn Mawr. But Bascom created a large collection of minerals and rocks. She also taught numerous young women who wanted, like she had, to become geologists.

Bascom’s specialty was the rock formations that created mountains. The studies she did and the papers she wrote were a vital contribution to understanding the geology of the Piedmont area. Florence Bascom was elected the first female Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and eventually she became the vice president of the organization. She worked for the United States Geological Survey, the first woman ever to do so. Her successes were astonishing at the time, and she deserves much credit for opening the door for generations of female scientists.

Multiple Choice

What does the author think about women's roles in history?

• Women had no career choices in Bascom's time.

• Women were not treated equally in Bascom's time.

• People respected female scientists more in the past.

• It used to be easier for women to become geologists.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the text shows this point of view?

• "Florence Bascom wanted to go on with her geology studies."

• "She had an easier time there than she might have had elsewhere."

• "That seems unbelievable now!"

• "This announcement did not stop Bascom, though."

Multiple Choice

What does the author probably think of Florence Bascom?

• She was more intelligent than all of her classmates.

• She deserved to be recognized for her achievements.

• She should have done more in the field of geology.

• She is one of the most important women in history.

Multiple Choice

The author says that Bascom influenced others in her field of study. Select the sentence that best supports this view.

• Bascom's specialty was the rock formations that created mountains.

• The studies she did and the papers she wrote were a vital contribution to understanding the geology of the Piedmont area.

• Florence Bascom was elected the first female Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and eventually became the vice president of the organization.

• She worked for the United States Geological Survey, the first women to ever do so.

• Her successes were astonishing at the time, and she deserves much credit for opening the door for generations of female scientists.